AIK’s 1891-Inspired Kit Launch: A Masterclass in Historical Storytelling
Swedish club AIK celebrated its 135th anniversary with a home shirt reveal that broke every modern launch convention. Instead of a typical player‑portrait
Swedish club AIK celebrated its 135th anniversary with a home shirt reveal that broke every modern launch convention. Instead of a typical player‑portrait rollout, the club commissioned four artists to create teaser visuals using only techniques available in 1891. Each artwork revealed one quadrant of the 2026 Nike shirt, weaving art, heritage, and football culture into a single immersive concept.
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For the anniversary, AIK restricted every artistic method to those authentic to the late 19th century. This was not a simple historical nod but a creative concept that honoured the club’s founding year with genuine craftsmanship.
The Teaser Quadrants
AIK engaged four Swedish artists, each tasked with producing one portion of the shirt. The constraint: use only implements, substances, and processes familiar to the 1890s. More than two hundred hours of handcrafted labour yielded four distinct pieces – an oil painting, a wet plate collodion photograph, a Belle Époque poster, and an ink line drawing.
The Artworks in Detail
When combined, the four works revealed the complete 2026 home shirt. Each piece was executed with painstaking period accuracy.
Oil Painting – Klara Zetterholm
Zetterholm created a 54 × 65 cm oil painting using paint blends, brushes, and a canvas secured with nails rather than modern staples. The brushwork echoed 19th‑century techniques, giving the piece a museum‑quality texture.
Wet Plate Collodion Photography – Hans Jonsson
For the upper‑left quadrant, Jonsson employed the wet plate collodion method dating to the mid‑1800s. The image was captured on a glass plate, sensitised with collodion, immersed in silver nitrate, and developed inside a portable darkroom. The final print on period‑style paper delivers an antique, almost spectral appearance.
Belle Époque Poster – “Svalan” Sörblom
Sörblom’s 60 × 60 cm poster uses gouache, ink, and pencil in a high‑art Belle Époque style. The illustration recalls classic cultural posters – vibrant, theatrical, and unmistakably of its time.
Ink Line Drawing – Tessan “Fonfe” Graf
Graf’s 50 × 70 cm ink drawing consists of thousands of individual strokes, created stroke‑by‑stroke using late‑19th‑century illustration methods. The slow, deliberate process mirrors the precision of early print illustration.
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A New Benchmark for Football‑Launch Creativity
By embracing historic artistry, AIK connected football with art, identity, and storytelling. Looking backward rather than forward, the club established a fresh standard for creative club culture.
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